


Spirits

by hungrydean



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angel True Forms, M/M, Mentions of 12x12, Nightmares, canon!verse, season 12
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-17
Updated: 2017-08-17
Packaged: 2018-12-16 13:09:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11829405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hungrydean/pseuds/hungrydean
Summary: Dean keeps having nightmares, and they're getting worse. Dean isn't sure if they're actually just nightmares or if they're visions. Castiel thinks they're something entirely different.





	Spirits

**Author's Note:**

> Definitely something different from what I normally write, but I hope you enjoy (:

_The place is dark. Dean barely sees anything but a low fire in the corner. It’s the only light source in the cold, empty hall. Dean wonders what is kept in here, or who lives here. Water slowly drips down the walls and makes soft tapping noises on the stone floor. But he’s here for a reason. On the other end of the cave, a silhouette only lit by the fire is hanging from the wall. It’s growling softly but Dean can hear the rumble from where he’s standing._

_He approaches slowly. The creature has large wings pinned up against the wall. Like those of a bird but enormous and missing many feathers. It’s as if only the skeleton of the wings are left. The creature’s claws are held in chains, tied together. It tries to shake them off, but the chains are stronger than the thick paws._

_There’s a long tail hanging down. It’s touching the floor, swaying melancholy on the rhythm of the creature’s breathing. It swipes over the stone, a scraping sound mixing together with the constant, soft growling like a whisper._

_Dean has never seen a creature like this before. It’s not a bird, not a demon, not any kind of monster he fought in his life. But for some reason, he knows that this isn’t his enemy. He’s here to save this creature. When he comes closer, he can see more detail. The beast’s fur was once a very light blue, but it’s dirty and bloody now. Its head is covered in a large mask, black with long curved horns like those of an antelope. Dean wonders what’s behind the mask, or if there’s anything at all. The growling is like a lion’s, deep and dangerous. But Dean doesn’t feel fear_ from _this beast, he feels fear_ for _it. He doesn’t want it to get hurt._

_“Hey,” Dean says as he comes even closer, knowing somehow the creature will be able to understand. “I’mma get you outta here, okay?”_

_He wants to touch the chains to try and get them off of the claws, but a sudden voice stops him. It echoes through the hall and Dean needs a moment to realize the voice is coming from the creature itself. Yet he knows the voice well- too well._

_“Dean,” Castiel’s voice chokes between the growling. “Don’t- don’t try and save me… Run, just run now you can- They’ll come for you too.”_

_“I’m not leaving you, Cas.” Dean hears himself say, back working at the chains. “I came to get you out.”_

_“Please!” The animal, no,_ Cas _, begs, “You’ll die if you save me, you’ll die if you try- just go, Dean, go before-”_

_The fire suddenly spreads out over the wall, drawing closer to where Castiel is hanging. “Go!” He urges._

_Suddenly Dean is at the other end of the hall and sees the fire closing Castiel in. He’s tugging at his chains, screaming and yelling Dean’s name._

_“Cas, no!” Dean yells. He starts to run, but he doesn’t seem o get closer. The image of the creature is now mixed with the Castiel he knows, maybe it’s now Jimmy Novak’s vessel is hanging there, but Dean can’t focus in the flickering light of the flames_

_“Dean-” Cas’ voice is far away yet loud, echoing back against all the walls. “It’s true what I said, I love you- I can’t watch you die, please, Dean... run!” Dean jumps forward, but as he does, Castiel’s silhouette disappears into the fire._

“Dean, come on, wake up man-”

Someone’s tugging at him. 

When he finally realizes what he’s feeling he sits up with a yell, clutching onto whoever’s next to him. He’s back in the motel room they booked the night before. Sam’s sitting on his bed, his hair a mess from sleeping.

“Hey, hey, it’s just another dream,” Sam says, a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “It’s okay.”

“Cas,” Dean breaths, gasping for air. He shakes his head. “Cas, I saw Cas- he was… His angel form- it was chained up against a wall and I… I couldn’t save him and- _fuck_. I, I gotta call him.” His fear is back. Dean tries to get up but Sam holds him back by his arm. 

“Dean, man, listen.” He takes a breath. “Look, you’ve had dreams like this for how long now? A week? Longer? They’re all about me or Cas dying and you know it’s just dreams, right? They were all just dreams and so is this one.” 

Dean frantically shakes his head again.

“No, Sam, this one is different. This one was more realistic and felt so _real_ and I swear that it was more like- more like a vision or something.” He pushes himself from the bed and grabs his phone, going to Cas’ number. 

“Dean, you said that about the last one-”

“I just wanna check, alright?” He hits the button and calls, ignoring Sam’s glance. The phone rings once, twice, three times… Dean runs a hand through his hair, his breath hitching.

“ _Hello Dean. What’s wrong?”_

“Hey, Cas, you okay?” Dean asks. Sam sighs and gets up from Dean’s bed. 

“ _Of course. Well… If you consider working with Crowley ‘okay’, he just won’t stop talking… But I’ve been under worse circumstances. Why?”_

Dean can’t help but smile. He sighs, relieved to hear Castiel’s voice.

“Oh, uhm- just… another one of those nightmares, buddy. It’s nothing, really.”

Sam softly scoffs behind him, but Dean doesn’t care. 

“ _They might not just be nightmares, Dean, I’ve been thinking. I’ll come over, we’re not that far away. Is that okay?”_

The idea of seeing Cas gives Dean more peace, so he bites his lip and nods. 

“Yes, please.” Dean swallows. “If it’s not too much, of course, you don’t have to-”

“ _I’ll be there in ten._ ”

Dean is already down at the parking lot when Castiel arrives. He’s standing in a large shirt and boxershorts, his bare feet cold on the cement. Sam went back to sleep, though curious about Castiel’s thoughts on the nightmares. Dean has no idea what Cas meant, but if he can do something about them… Dean doesn’t want to end up like an overly anxious guy becoming pure panic every time he dozes off. It’s embarrassing and next to that, he doesn’t get any proper sleep.. He’s been having the ‘nightmares’ for over a week now, vivid dreams of either Sam or Cas dying. What he told Sam is true- they’re getting worse, more realistic. With every single dream he felt as if _this one_ was real, a vision. He can’t shake it off, can’t stop his anxiety from capturing him. 

Now, seeing Cas walk up to him, a sudden gratefulness washes over him so heavily he walks over and hugs him before saying anything. Castiel hugs back, his breath warm in Dean’s neck. _Alive._

Dean can’t imagine him as the creature he’d seen in his dreams, not now he looks so like himself, the Cas he knows. 

“Hello Dean.” Castiel pulls away, frowning at him. “They’re getting worse, aren’t they? The nightmares.” He places his hand on Dean’s forehead, who lets it happen with a slight frown. 

“You said they weren’t just dreams?”

Castiel nods.

“You probably have bad spirits haunting your dreams,” He hums in deep thought, his fingers on Dean’s temple. “It’s possible after all the things you’ve been through- your soul is bright but so _vulnerable_ \- that attracts them. They’re getting worse because they work on you. You get more worried and your soul gets heavier.”

“Bad spirits creating dreams? That sorta thing really exist?”

“They’re more solid than humans often describe them. They’re kind of like ghosts, but have no body of their own. They only capture a person, and if they can feed on their soul… They stay, ruining the human’s dreams, and if they can get that far… The entire person themselves, turning them into insanity.” 

Dean breathes out slowly. It would’ve sounded crazy if it didn’t come from Cas’ mouth. 

“I… Okay.” He nods. “How do I fix it?”

“ _You_ can’t fix it, you can’t stop caring so the spirits will be able to feed.” Castiel says. “But I _can_ help you. As an angel, I have power over them. It will be… an intense sensation.”

Dean shivers.

“I just want them to stop, Cas. I don’t wanna end a lunatic. Whatever it is, go ahead.”

“Can we go to your room? You’ll need to sit. I can make Sam sleep through it.” 

They sit down on Dean’s bed together. Sam is snoring softly in the deep sleep Castiel put him into.

“Take off your shirt.” Castiel points. Dean raises his eyebrows, ready to say something about it. Then he realizes the importance of getting rid of the spirits and he slips off his shirt. Sitting in front of Castiel in just his boxers is definitely a weird experience, especially as he remembers the words he told him right before Dean woke up. 

“What are you gonna do?” He asks, now a little nervous anyways. 

“I’ll be expelling them, like a demon. Just- don’t hold back. Whatever you feel, just let it happen.” 

Dean nods. “Sure.”

Castiel’s hand rests on his chest, on the place of his heart. He begins to mumble in Enochian, spreading his fingers. 

A sudden wave of emotions rush through Dean. It hits him without a warning. He feels fear and happiness and love, misery and hate and lust, pain and joy all at once. He hears himself groan and scream something. He falls against Castiel and grips onto him, 

Castiel keeps talking, his free hand is holding Dean close to him. Dean barely notices he’s gripping onto Castiel so heavily. HIs thoughts and feelings are all piling up as if they’ve all been waiting to be noticed. He feels, more than he’s ever felt anything, he’s crying out Castiel’s name and clutching on him, shivering, a tear gliding down his face. Dean can’t control it. He doesn’t know how long he’s sitting there without an idea of who or where he is, but just as sudden as it came, the feelings are gone. He realizes he’s holding Cas and Cas’ arms are around him. He grips tighter. 

“Cas…” He mutters. “Cas, I-”

“It’s alright, Dean, they’re gone.” Castiel whispers. “They won’t come back.” 

Dean doesn’t let go. 

“Did I hurt you?” He asks realizing he can’t recall what he did the last few minutes.

“Not physically.” Cas says quietly. “It hurt seeing you in pain like that, but it wasn’t your fault.” 

They sit together in silence, minutes pass. 

“I’m still scared something will happen to you… To Sam…”

“I’m afraid something will happen to you and Sam too.” Cas laughs softly. “That’s just a part of who you are. That’s never been a spirit. That’s you.”

Dean grips on Cas’ trenchcoat. He’s solid and real in his arms. The words from his dream come back to him, words Cas said in reality before. Words Dean never dared to say. 

“Y’know what you told me… In my dream?” He asks and sits up, looking at the angel. 

“No.” Castiel frowns. “What did I say?”

“That you love me.” 

Maybe the fear of talking about this _was_ a spirit, because Dean feels less nervous anymore. “And I- I _need_ you to know that if you ever- if you… y’know… I love you too.”

Castiel’s lips are warm, full and rough. Dean tastes them as if it’s the last, not the first time. Cas tastes like a fresh herb Dean can’t name, he smells like fresh laundry, clean, with a hint of cinnamon. Dean’s. It’s the most calming scent Dean will ever smell and he melts into it, breathing in soft short gasps against Castiel’s lips. Castiel’s breathing is soft and he feels even softer, though his muscles are pushing back strong against. It feels right.

Castiel isn’t even questioning, he kisses like this is something he knew was going to happen and maybe he did. Dean doesn’t care. 

He’s undressing Castiel without either of them speaking. It’s weird, with Sam next to them, but Dean knows he won’t wake up. He peels off layers of clothing, throws them on the floor thoughtlessly. There’s no Sam, no spirits. Just them and a too small motel bed.

They don’t take long, they hurry through it, kissing, touching, holding each other, skin against skin, rough and sweaty and hard. 

When Cas lays down next to him, Dean looks at him. Part of Dean wishes they’d take time, but he knows they will, once. Later, when they’re alone or when they’re less restless. He thought Cas would leave but he stays long after they calmed down. 

“You stayin’?” Dean whispers. 

“I want to be sure you sleep peacefully tonight.” Castiel smiles. 

In his entire life, Dean Winchester never slept better. 

 


End file.
